Health Canada has announced it is seeking public comment on the proposed prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) from the country’s food supply. All comments must be received by June 21. The country’s work to reduce the trans fat intake of Canadians began in the early 2000s with mandatory labeling in the Nutrition Facts table, the setting of regulatory criteria for the use of “trans fat free” claims, as well as the adoption of voluntary targets for trans fats in processed foods accompanied by a monitoring program.
In November 2015 when Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, appointed Jane Philpott as Minister of Health, he set forth a mandate that she bring in “tougher regulations to eliminate trans fats and to reduce salt in processed foods, similar to those in the United States.” In response, Philpott launched the Healthy Eating Strategy, which included among its many initiatives, a proposal to prohibit the use of PHOs in foods. This was followed by a pre-consultation which ended January 13, 2017. It is now the intention of the agency to implement this prohibition by adding PHOs to Part 1 of the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods as described in the information document.